Vienna Opera Ball
Encyclopedia
The Vienna Opera Ball (Wiener Opernball in German
) is an annual Austria
n society
event which takes place in the building of the Vienna State Opera
on the Thursday preceding Ash Wednesday
. Together with the New Year Concert
, the Opera Ball
is one of the highlights of the Viennese carnival season
. The dress code is evening dress
: white tie and tails for men; floor-length ballgowns for women.
Each year, almost overnight, the auditorium
of the Vienna State Opera is turned into a large ballroom
. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the stalls
, and a new floor, level with the stage
, is built.
In a joint venture, ORF
and BR
broadcast live from the ball for several hours each year.
The Opera Ball was first held in 1935, but was suspended during World War II
. It was revived after the war; it has been held annually ever since, with the exception of 1991, when it was cancelled due to the Persian Gulf War
. Since 2008, Desirée Treichl-Stürgkh has been the chairman (supervising organizer) of the Vienna Opera Ball.
In recent years, the Opernballdemo, a left-wing
demonstration
along the Ringstraße
against the kind of capitalism
represented by, as the protesters see it, many of the well-to-do guests at the Opera Ball, has regularly taken place on the same night. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence.
In 1995
Austrian writer Josef Haslinger
published a novel
entitled Opernball
in which thousands of people are killed in a Neo-Nazi
terrorist attack taking place during that society event. The novel was the basis of a 1998
made-for-TV movie by Urs Egger
with the same title.
The only ball officially associated with the Vienna Opera Ball is the Dubai Opera Ball
. A similar ball
takes place in New York City and another
in Budapest, but they are not affiliated with the Vienna Opera Ball.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) is an annual Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
event which takes place in the building of the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
on the Thursday preceding Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
. Together with the New Year Concert
Vienna New Year's Concert
The New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic is a concert of classical music that takes place each year in the morning of January 1 in Vienna, Austria...
, the Opera Ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...
is one of the highlights of the Viennese carnival season
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
. The dress code is evening dress
Evening dress
Evening dress may refer to:* White tie, the most formal civilian dress code in Western fashion* Black tie, a semi-formal dress code for evening events and social functions in Western fashion...
: white tie and tails for men; floor-length ballgowns for women.
Each year, almost overnight, the auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
of the Vienna State Opera is turned into a large ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the stalls
Stall (enclosure)
A stall is a small enclosure of some kind, usually less enclosed than a room.-Market stall:A market stall is usually an immobile temporary structure erected by merchants to display and shelter their merchandise...
, and a new floor, level with the stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, is built.
In a joint venture, ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
and BR
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
broadcast live from the ball for several hours each year.
The Opera Ball was first held in 1935, but was suspended during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was revived after the war; it has been held annually ever since, with the exception of 1991, when it was cancelled due to the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Since 2008, Desirée Treichl-Stürgkh has been the chairman (supervising organizer) of the Vienna Opera Ball.
In recent years, the Opernballdemo, a left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
along the Ringstraße
Ringstraße
The Ringstraße is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria and is one of its main sights...
against the kind of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
represented by, as the protesters see it, many of the well-to-do guests at the Opera Ball, has regularly taken place on the same night. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence.
In 1995
1995 in literature
The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
Austrian writer Josef Haslinger
Josef Haslinger
Josef Haslinger is an Austrian writer.Haslinger was born in Zwettl, Lower Austria. He studied philosophy, drama and Germanic studies...
published a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
entitled Opernball
Opernball (novel)
Opernball is a 1995 novel by Austrian writer Josef Haslinger in which thousands of people are killed in a Neo-Nazi terrorist attack taking place during the Vienna Opera Ball. The novel was the basis of a 1998 made-for-TV movie by Urs Egger with the same title....
in which thousands of people are killed in a Neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
terrorist attack taking place during that society event. The novel was the basis of a 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
made-for-TV movie by Urs Egger
Urs Egger
Urs Egger is a Swiss film and television director.From 1974 to 1997 he worked for the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the Australian Cinema Papers as a correspondent from Los Angeles, responsible for reporting about the film industry. He visited the American Film Institute to become a...
with the same title.
The only ball officially associated with the Vienna Opera Ball is the Dubai Opera Ball
Dubai Opera Ball
The Vienna Opera Ball Dubai is part of the Vienna Opera Ball series, and has taken place on two occasions in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates.The first Dubai Opera Ball was held on February 17, 2005, at Madinat Jumeirah...
. A similar ball
Viennese Opera Ball in New York
The Viennese Opera Ball in New York is an annual charity gala held annually under the auspices of the US-Austrian Chamber of Commerce.Dignitaries, Diplomats and Debutantes “Open” the international Ball, long regarded as one of New York’s “greatest annual events,” garnering worldwide media coverage...
takes place in New York City and another
Budapest Opera Ball
The Budapest Opera Ball is an annual Hungarian society event taking place in the building of the Budapest Opera on the last Saturday of the carnival season, usually late February. On this occasion the stage and the auditorium of the Opera is transformed into a huge ballroom...
in Budapest, but they are not affiliated with the Vienna Opera Ball.
External links
- Viennese Opera Ball Vienna - Opernball Thursday before Ash Wednesday February 19, 2009
- Information on the Vienna Opera Ball with Video
- Viennese Opera Ball New York - Friday February 6, 2009
- Viennese Opera Ball Dubai - Thursday March 16, 2006
- Viennese Opera Ball Hong Kong - Saturday September 27, 2008
- Lindsay Lohan Will Attend the 2010 Wiener Opernball
- http://www.humaninstitut.at/humaninstitut/newsartikel.php?spr_id=1&chat_seite=1&news_id=703&seite=4Study about the Vienna Opera Ball by the HumaninstitutHumaninstitutThe Humaninstitut is a scientific social-research institute, which was founded in 1986 by the clinical psychologist, sociologist and psychotherapist Dr. Franz Witzeling in Klagenfurt. Their project-partners are represented locally, nation-wide and international...
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